Q. An expert panel appointed by the Federal Government has made a number of recommendations for handling asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat. Do you approve or disapprove of the following recommendations?

Total approve

Total disapprove

Strongly approve

Approve

Dis-approve

Strongly disapprove

Don’t know

Expanding Australia’s humanitarian program immediately from 13,500 places per year to 20,000

42%

46%

13%

29%

20%

26%

12%

Limiting the ways refugees who have arrived by boat can bring their families to Australia

72%

18%

40%

32%

11%

7%

11%

Reopening detention facilities in Nauru and Manus Islands

67%

18%

36%

31%

11%

7%

14%

Detaining offshore refugees who have arrived by boat for several years

47%

39%

26%

21%

22%

17%

13%

Pursuing a people swap deal with Malaysia as the basis for a regional solution

30%

47%

11%

19%

22%

25%

23%

Consider turning back boats in the future but only if special conditions are met

66%

21%

35%

31%

11%

10%

13%

There was strong majority approval of the recommendations to limit the ways refugees who have arrived by boat can bring their families to Australia (72%), reopen detention facilities in Nauru and Manus Islands (67%) and consider turning back boats (66%). Respondents were a little more in favour of detaining offshore refugees for several years (47% approve/39% disapprove) and divided over expanding Australia’s humanitarian program (42%/46%). 47% disapproved of pursuing a people swap deal with Malaysia as the basis for a regional solution.